Skills needs in greening economies

Transcription

1 Skills needs in greening economies ETUC, BUSINESSEUROPE, CEEP, UEAPME Final Report, 31 January 2014, Brussels Project of the European Social Partners with the financial support of the European Commission

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3 Responsibility for the contents of this report remains with ICF GHK. A report submitted by ICF GHK Date: 31 January 2014 Job Number Tina Weber ICF GHK 30 St Paul's Square Birmingham B3 1QZ T +44 (0) birmingham@ghkint.com

4 Document Control Document Title Skills needs in greening economies Job number Prepared by Contributors Checked by Joel Marsden, Tina Weber Danilo Bianchini, Josefina Capdevila Tina Weber Date 31 January 2014 ICF GHK is the brand name of GHK Consulting Ltd and the other subsidiaries of GHK Holdings Ltd. In February 2012 GHK Holdings and its subsidiaries were acquired by ICF International.

5 Contents Key messages... i 1 Introduction Background information, context and models of social partner engagement Europe s green future: policy context and the impact on employment and skills needs The rationale for lifelong learning to seize the opportunities and meet the challenges of transition to a greener economy Models of social partner engagement and participation Social partner lifelong learning actions to support greening economies Identification and anticipation of competencies and qualification needs Recognition and validation of competencies and qualifications Information, support and guidance Mobilising resources for the lifelong development of competencies Annex 1 Methodological notes Annex 2 List of social partners and stakeholders consulted Annex 3 Case Studies... 21

6 Key messages The conference held in Brussels on October 2013 provided an opportunity for social partners from across Europe to discuss a number of issues emanating from this discussion paper The priorities set in the 2002 Framework of Actions for Lifelong Learning remain relevant: Despite having been negotiated over 10 years ago, the four priorities for action (anticipation of competencies and qualification needs; recognition and validation of competencies and qualifications; information, support and guidance; and mobilising resources for lifelong learning) remain as relevant for social partners and other actors in education and training systems as they were when they were first agreed. 2. A greening skills agenda is important for all sectors: An emphasis on skills required for a greening economy is by no means limited to a few readily identifiable sectors. Instead, it pervades all sectors of the economy in the context of efforts to safeguard the environment and realise resource efficiencies. Education, initial vocational training and continuous vocational training (or lifelong learning ) have a critical role to play in delivering and updating relevant skills. The greening dimension therefore needs to be integrated into each activity that supports the implementation of the four priorities for action at national, regional, local and enterprise levels. 3. The strong involvement of social partners is key to success: This involvement should be ensured at all appropriate levels and strong information flows ensure that relevant national stakeholders and training providers are continually aware of and responsive to the skills requirements of enterprises and workers. Some countries have strong institutionalised systems to regularly update training curricula to meet these requirements. However, even in countries where this is not the case, case study examples have shown that strong local partnerships can be successful in anticipating developments and communicating requirements to training providers. This is particularly important for smaller businesses, which may not have a systematic skills strategy in place for the manager-owner and workers. EU, national, regional, local and sectoral dialogue on future skills requirements has already played an important role in shaping the lifelong learning agenda. At European level, existing initiatives such as, the EU skills panorama, sector skills councils, sector skills alliances and the classification of European skills/competences, qualifications and occupations (ESCO) need to be continuously reviewed in a coordinated way to ensure that they are practical and add value. 4. Policy coordination, coherence and consistency can help ensure smooth skills and economic transformation: Effective adaptation and restructuring of economies and labour markets in response to environmental challenges rely on clear, co-ordinated and predictable policies. Coherent approaches to industrial, social and environmental policies require active coordination between public authorities in this field. This can make it easier for employers, workers, and public authorities to identify efficient responses in terms of providing the skills needed in greening economies. Social partners play an important role in mapping, monitoring and regularly assessing skill needs in light of the competitive dynamics across all sectors. 5. Training provision needs to be affordable, effective and accessible. Having identified skills needs and even having developed training provision to respond to these, it is important for training offers to be affordable, relevant, timely and accessible in order to be taken up. The demand for training is driven by a number of factors including: identified skills needs, legal requirements, quality control, the perceived value of the training, and the personal motivation of the learner. The social partners can influence these by promoting the benefits of lifelong learning to enhance competitiveness and by providing practical mechanisms to support enterprises and their workforce, and particularly SMEs often with limited financial resources, to engage in training. 6. Recognition of green skills can be developed further: To date, there are limited examples of actions taken by the social partners and other stakeholders to fully integrate and mainstream 1 All materials from the event can be found online at the ETUC Resource Centre at: ; and the Employers Resource Centre at: i

7 training provision to adapt to a greener economy within appropriate national frameworks and to enable systems for the recognition of such skills acquired in the workplace. Further efforts are needed to build links between education and training actors, and industry, business and public services to adapt existing qualifications and develop nationally accredited add-on modules that match the needs of individuals and the labour market. 7. Social partners can play a key role in raising awareness on skills needs in greening economies and learning opportunities: A prerequisite for successful socially responsible change is a general awareness and acceptance of the need for change among workers and employers. Infrastructure to actively engage employers, workers and jobseekers, and clearly communicate relevant economic and policy developments and the opportunities for lifelong learning linked to greening economies are therefore critical. There is no shortage of tools or instruments available to share and disseminate information. Instead, a strengthened role of social partnership and a corresponding multiplication of efforts are needed. 8. There is potential for more mutual learning: There is limited evidence of scaling up or replication of effective practices from local or regional projects. This means there are opportunities for exchanges and further peer learning between projects at country level. The same is true at the European level, where a focussed exchange of experience could help to inspire innovation based on a full understanding of underlying differences in policy and structural frameworks. 9. EU finance offers opportunities but also requires internal capacity: A variety of financial support is available at EU level such as the ESF that can co-fund the delivery of lifelong learning activities. In the next financial period, Erasmus+ will provide further opportunities to support peer learning and country exchanges for teachers, trainers and trainees. The Commission should ensure priority access to EU funding to social partners who apply for these funds. At a local level, open partnerships can provide further support in issues of compliance, in leveraging co-finance and/or drawing in further channels for in-kind support. 10. Making the case for lifelong learning: Further support for lifelong learning initiatives could also be generated by creating a better evidence base on the positive impacts of lifelong learning activities to develop the skills needed in greening economies on long-term competitiveness and performance of enterprises and organisations. Next steps The outcomes and conclusions of the discussions contained herein will be taken into account to pave the way forward in developing further initiatives in the context of the European social dialogue. ii

8 1 Introduction This paper has been commissioned by the European social partners ETUC, BUSINESSEUROPE, CEEP and UEAPME, on 21 December 2012 in relation to external expertise on Skills needs in greening economies. The Skills needs in greening economies, project takes place within the context of the INTEGRATED PROGRAMME of the EU. It serves to underline the important role played by trade unions, employers organisations and individual employers in supporting the Europe 2020 strategy s goal of turning the EU into a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy capable of delivering high levels of employment, productivity and social cohesion. 2 The project is based on the four priorities of the 2002 Framework of Actions for the lifelong development of competencies and qualifications. 3 It also builds on the European social partners 2011 joint study on national and sectoral initiatives which has identified a number of issues regarding the involvement of social partners on interlink between climate change, employment and training policies across Europe. 4 This paper explores a selection of different and emerging models of social partner participation and engagement in the transition towards a low-carbon economy. The evidence presented herein has been gathered through a combination of desk-based research, telephone interviews and correspondence with representatives of national trade unions and employers associations in Europe. Full details of the methodology employed and a full list of consulted stakeholders are presented in Annex 1 and 0 respectively. In its thematic presentation, the background discussion paper follows the four priority headings of the 2002 framework of actions that remain valid in the present context. These are the: identification and anticipation of competencies 5 and qualification needs; recognition and validation of competencies and qualifications 6 ; information, support and guidance; and mobilising resources for the lifelong development of competencies. The conference organised on 10 and 11 October 2013 seeks to enhance the exchange of experience between trade unions, public and private employers (including SMEs), and to foster discussions both at national and European levels between social partners on lifelong learning development of competencies and qualifications in Europe, in the context of greening economies. The structure of the background paper to the conference is as follows: Chapter 2: Background information and context Chapter 3: Social partner lifelong learning actions to support greening economies Chapter 4: Proposed discussion points for the conference 2 For further details see: accessed on 31 January available at 31/01/14 4 ETUC, BUSINESS EUROPE, UEAPME, CEEP (2011), Initiatives involving social partners in Europe on climate change policies and employment, Report by Syndex for the EU Social Partners 5 Competencies are the knowledge, skills and know-how applied and mastered in a given work situation 6 Qualifications are a formal expression of the vocational or professional abilities of the employee. They are recognised at the national or sectoral level. 1

9 2 Background information, context and models of social partner engagement 2.1 Europe s green future: policy context and the impact on employment and skills needs The shift towards a resource-efficient, low-carbon economy is supported by the Europe 2020 strategy. This strategy recognises that greening the economy is a multidimensional challenge and therefore must be addressed through cross-cutting measures at the sectoral level that include targeted economic, employment and skills development policies along with policies for industrial development, innovation and competitiveness. Looking ahead, the future climate and energy framework for 2030 is an important step to ensure a balanced approach. For 2050, the European Commission and a vast majority of member states have endorsed the objective of reducing Europe s greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95%. In order to preserve Europe s competitiveness, this objective should be part of efforts by all developed countries to reduce their emissions by a similar degree in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The sustainable dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy relies on a variety of legislative and non-legislative instruments. Policy frameworks include the establishment of legally binding climate and energy 20:20:20 targets 7, which is in turn supported by market based instruments and regulations to internalise environmental costs, for example through the EU emissions trading system and eco-design directives. Alongside these legislative instruments, social dialogue and other non-legislative instruments can play a role in order to raise awareness, to facilitate behavioural change, and more effective investments and policy implementation, in particular on issues mostly relevant for social partners such as the adaptation of skills to greening economies. Therefore, in addition to the policy and legislative framework in place, the European strategy for greener (resource efficient and environmentally sustainable) economies recognises and seeks to enhance the role of consumers, workers, public and private enterprises (including SMEs) and industry from across a wide range of established and emerging sectors to foster and implement innovation and change. To this end, fiscal and financial tools, education and communication activities, funding for research, development and innovation, and the creation of platforms and networks to exchange best practices are critical. The approach recognises that top-down frameworks are effective insofar as they establish the conditions in which European citizens and enterprises can thrive leaving room for entrepreneurial, industry and other stakeholder initiatives to develop. 8 In its 2012 Communication, Towards a Job Rich Recovery, 9 the European Commission has indicated that the green economy is one of the key strategic domains for economic growth and job creation to overcome the ongoing employment crisis and increase industrial competitiveness. The accompanying document - Exploiting the Employment Potential of Green Growth 10 - highlighted that progress towards the transition to a resource efficient economy will coincide with structural changes in employment. A successful transition will therefore benefit from policies that support the labour force in restructuring and through 7 A reduction in EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of at least 20 per cent below 1990 levels; The need for renewable sources to represent 20 per cent of EU final energy consumption 7 and a reduction in energy consumption of 20 per cent from projected 2020 levels by improving energy efficiency, EC (2008), by 2020, Europe's climate change opportunity, COM (2008) 30 8 DG Enterprise and Industry: Sustainable and responsible business, accessed on 27 June EC (2012), Towards a Job-Rich Recovery, COM (2012) EC (2012), Exploiting the employment potential of green growth, Staff Working Document (2012) 92 2

10 strengthened green skills intelligence, which embeds the skills and training dimension within wider national and regional strategies for green growth and sustainable development. As well as needing to interact and anticipate the labour market effects of industrial, innovation, energy and environmental policy actions taken, the Commission also points out that employment and skills policies can also make an important contribution to the transition to a greener economy by supporting and capitalising on new possibilities and addressing existing bottlenecks. It is therefore considered essential that labour markets and associated policies at EU and Member State level act as a catalyst, and not an obstacle, to this transformation process, and that there is mutual understanding and collaboration between the relevant labour market actors 11, including the social partners. 2.2 The rationale for lifelong learning to seize the opportunities and meet the challenges of transition to a greener economy The transformation of the present European economy to one which can be sustained over the long-term, given the physical limits to the use of natural resources, represents a challenge for businesses, public organisations, and industry to integrate environmental considerations, innovate and diversify. As a result of the process of the ongoing shift in the fundamental structure of the economy, some industries and regions will have to cope with important challenges. 12 On balance, the accumulated evidence is that the policies and measures taken to encourage the shift towards a low carbon economy do not pose a threat to overall levels of employment. 13 At the same time, this has contributed, among others factors such as price of raw materials, energy dependency and its consequences, to an increase in energy prices in Europe, which has a negative impact on the global competitiveness of European enterprises. 14 Therefore, it will be important to assess the impacts on individual sectors with environmental concerns seen as intensifying the processes of change brought about by broader challenges including globalisation, information technology developments and an ageing workforce. 15 The gradual greening of the economy will lead to a progressive redefinition of skill requirements in many jobs, across all sectors. Indeed, research evidence has shown that changing skill requirements are largely found in traditional, existing occupations. 16 It also shows that the dividing line between green and environmentally inefficient work shifts over time as all jobs become greener, and traditional sectoral and occupational boundaries become increasingly blurred. Managing structural change to increase resource efficiency and reduce the level of CO 2 emissions will require, among other things, labour markets and education and training systems that facilitate the necessary adjustment in an efficient, sustainable and inclusive way. 17 European industry and its workers also have a clear commercial stake and established track record in delivering efficiency improvements. In many cases, since the transition is often a policy-driven process, the anticipation of green change can be explicit, while management measures can be planned and launched at the outset Ibid. 12 GHK, CE, IER (2011), Studies on sustainability issues: green jobs; trade and labour, European Commission 13 Cedefop (2013), Skills for a low carbon Europe, European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training 14 See for example, DECC (2012), Estimated impact of energy and climate policies on energy prices and bills, UK Department of Energy and Climate Change 15 Chateau, J., Manfredi, T., Saint-Martin, A., Swain, P. (2011): Employment impacts of Climate Change Migration Policies in OECD: A general-equilibrium perspective, OECD Environment Working Paper No Cedefop (2012) Green skills and environmental awareness : the role of vocational education and training, European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training 17 EEO (2009), The Employment Dimension of Economy Greening, European Employment Observatory 18 Eurofound (2013), Greening of industries in the EU: Anticipating and managing the effects on quantity and quality of jobs, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, p. 2 3

11 Lifelong learning - the continuous development of competencies is a shared interest and responsibility for employers, employees and public authorities. For employers, access to and development of a skilled and adaptable workforce is one of the conditions for innovation and competitiveness. For workers, acquiring, updating and developing relevant knowledge and competences throughout working lives is most effective to find and remain in employment. 19 Figure 2.1 Adult participation in education and training ( Lifelong Learning ) in Europe, 2011 Source: Labour Force Survey and Adult Education Survey, Eurostat Figure 2.1 however shows that levels of adult participation in education and training vary considerably across Europe. The high performers in Europe are the five Nordic countries - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden plus the Netherlands, Slovenia, Switzerland and the UK. At the other extreme, less than 5 per cent of adults participate in education and training activities in countries such as Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, and Romania. 20 On the one hand, relatively low levels of participation or engagement with continuous professional development and lifelong learning may suggest that there are interesting issues here relating to how skill levels can be developed and maintained in response to greening economies. On the other hand, those countries which have relatively high levels of participation in adult learning may face a different set of challenges in supporting the adjustment of well-established training provision to the needs of greening economies. 2.3 Models of social partner engagement and participation Approaches to lifelong learning (LLL) in Europe vary between countries with respect to the extent to which the State, the employer, or the individual meets the costs of training, as well 19 ETUC, BUSINESS EUROPE, CEEP, UEAPME (2002), Framework of actions for the lifelong of competences 20 A training culture is defined as an environment in which training is seen as important and is closely linked with business strategy, particularly in creating competitive advantage for an enterprise. Opportunities are given to all employees to participate in training to develop their skills and competencies. Source: Mackenzie J. and Polvere, R.A. (2009) TVET Glossary: Some key terms in International Handbook of Education for the Changing World of Work, UNESCO International Library of Technical Vocational Education and Training 4

12 as the degree of influence social partners and the State have over training standards and accreditation. 21 The overall picture is one of Government - at either national or regional levels - establishing a framework within which qualifications can be designed. The extent, and form, of social partner involvement in lifelong learning activities is largely a reflection of wider approaches to social dialogue and social partnership in the national context. It can therefore be strong in some countries (or sectors) and virtually non-existent in others, while the stakeholders involved may differ on a case-by-case basis. 22 Cooperation by the social partners is considered essential at all appropriate levels. 23 Central level, where they are consulted and/or share responsibilities with the authorities in accordance with national practices; Industry level, where they can have a key role in forecasting skills needs and designing adequate sectoral training initiatives; Enterprise level, where they can contribute to greening workplaces, while enhancing competitiveness and productivity of enterprises; Individual companies and their union representatives where they exist, regardless of company size, can make a difference too. Participation of social partners in these processes varies in the EU countries, in line with the diversity of national industrial relations systems. Trade unions and employers associations are involved mainly in policy development within the framework of national training systems, national qualifications frameworks and standards and legislative provision at national level. Social partners at EU, national and local levels can contribute to establish the appropriate framework conditions to facilitate and coordinate these roles and shape effective policy strategies and reforms. The emergence of European Works Councils (EWCs) has also had an impact on transnational industrial relations institution-building due to EWC s involvement in transnational corporate restructuring. Through EWCs, workers are informed and consulted at transnational level by management on the progress of businesses and any significant decision that could affect them. Good practice example 1: ČEZ Group, Czech Republic In the Czech Republic, a European Works Council (EWC) has been established for the national electricity provider, ČEZ Group. The EWC serves as a platform to keep employee representatives informed, and hold discussions concerning key strategic issues of the group. Within the context of this EWC agreement, a right to training has also been established. This has supported the development of actions to support technical education among young people at school or college and promote pathways to jobs in energy generation. In the context of emerging skill needs in greening economies, the precise institutional structure of such social dialogue systems is likely to need to vary on a case by case basis. In any case, it is likely though to involve the active engagement or leadership of industry or employer representatives and employers in designing training activities in collaboration with professional associations and trade unions including where appropriate crafts and commerce chambers, to ensure training provision is timely, widely accessible and relevant to both learner and labour market needs. 21 Cedefop (2008) IVET Thematic Report: Synthesis Report, European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training, Thessaloniki 22 Cedefop (2009), Initial vocational education and training (IVET) in Europe: review 23 EMCO (2010),Towards a greener labour market - the employment dimension of tackling climate change, Employment Committee, European Commission 5

13 At sector level, they may play an active role in sector councils, setting occupational standards by defining occupational training needs and the structure, contents and duration of courses (e.g. Sector Skills councils in the UK). More rarely, they are directly involved in the assessment process as members of examination boards e.g. direct union involvement in the delivery of training in Austria. Social partners may also be involved in the delivery and management of sector training funds (e.g. Inter-sectoral funds in Italy, and the joint registered collection agencies (OPCA) in France). A further innovative example is the social partner networks established to anticipate and deliver effective training responses at regional or sector level in Ireland (see box below). Good practice example 2: Skillnets, Ireland Skillnets is an enterprise-led initiative aimed at improving competitiveness and providing improved access to opportunities for skills development among existing employees, and to expand the pool of available labour by also providing the unemployed with upskilling opportunities. It achieves this by bringing together groups of private companies and related stakeholders at regional or sectoral level to form training networks. At the board level, the Skillnets programme includes ministerial representatives from the Department for Education and Skills, representatives of employee bodies through the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and representatives of four employer bodies: Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), Chambers Ireland, Construction Industry Federation (CIF) and the Small Firms Association (SFA). Together this group promotes the network among its member groups, considers the applications for establishing new networks, and agrees on priorities for State funding. One such priority aims at supporting training to develop skills needs in greening economies. The overall responsibility for managing a given network rests with the contracting organisation (typically an employer association). This organisation is also responsible for conducting training needs analysis, managing and mobilising resources to match the State funding, as well as procuring and promoting training courses to be delivered for the sector or region. The flexible and open enterprise-led approach and model of match funding has the added value of ensuring active employer engagement in identifying the training needs of staff in concert with other enterprises, and following this up with a lifelong learning response. Social partner involvement is central to the programme at all levels, while the network-based approach has proved successful in attracting SMEs. Trade union representatives also influence training policy and issues related to internal and external occupational mobility of their members through the process of collective bargaining to promote decent work. Enterprises also engage in lifelong learning and greening activities as part of human resource management practices or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. The majority of firms typically sponsor and/or provide time off for further training of their staff in line with organisational requirements. 24 Furthermore, some collective agreements also contain provisions about lifelong learning (including in cases of restructuring). Lifelong learning is, for example, directly embedded in company-level collective bargaining in the Training Policy Programme of the Bulgaria Water Utility Provider, Sofiyska Voda, and in the Business Development Plan of Eesti Energia in Estonia. In spite of these provisions however, the average level of adult participation in education and training in Europe remains below 10 per cent. Good practice example 3: Green Workplaces, UK Several examples of the role of social dialogue and collective bargaining related to skills development can be highlighted. In the UK, the government established the Union Learning Fund in 1998 which funds unions learning projects. Some union learning projects have drawn down funding from the ETUC s Green Workplaces programme to support energy efficiency projects led by union 24 Cedefop (2013), Benefits of vocational education and training in Europe: for people, organisations and countries. 6

14 representatives in public services and social housing. The Green Workplaces programme originated from trade unions in the UK where over a thousand green representatives have been trained, although the role still lacks formal recognition. At the European level, social dialogue is an integral part of policy making, both in terms of consultations and negotiations which can take place both at the cross-industry and sectoral level. This process supplements the national social dialogues existing in the majority of the Member States, and has notably lead to the adoption of some 60 joint texts by the interprofessional social partners. In the context of the European sectoral social dialogue, the feasibility and added value of European sector skills councils is currently being assessed in a number of sectors. If assessed positively by EU sectoral social partners, this may lead to the establishment of more of these councils at European level in the future. An example of this is the framework of sectoral dialogue committee on electricity made up of EPSU, Eurelectric and IndustriALL. For such sectoral dialogue at EU level to function effectively, it is necessary to establish an environment of trust between different sets of employers and unions in order to promote the exchange of information necessary to develop a common understanding of changes and challenges facing the industry. Establishing effective channels to relay and feed in information to and from local actors at national level can be a particular challenge for sectors with less experience of social dialogue. To this end, the EU sectoral dialogue committee for electricity, for example, makes use of workshops and sponsored events, and disseminates newsletters, research studies and joint position papers Key challenges for social dialogue Evidence from this project underlines the fundamental importance of establishing dialogue and exchanges between public authorities and the social partners at appropriate levels, in order to develop and design VET responses that are relevant to worker, employer and industry needs. Where formal systems for such dialogue already exist, these need to be increasingly responsive to reflect changes in industrial composition and structural change. Where existing alliances produce positive outcomes, they need to be strengthened and expanded to include new and non-traditional industries as well as incorporate industry actors at different stages in the value chain. Where systems of social dialogue are more ad hoc and less institutionalised, the low carbon transition may reinforce the need for VET systems adaptation. New mechanisms of social dialogue may contribute to positive solutions, incorporating new and emerging sectors and cutting across ministerial and occupational boundaries. Employers and trade unions are well placed to find solutions reconciling economic and social needs of labour market players, and to devise concrete arrangements that benefit enterprises, employees and the wider environment. In the current context of high levels of unemployment (and particularly youth unemployment) however, it was often highlighted that in the context of the economic crisis, national social partners no longer see greening as an immediate or pressing priority, despite their continued sensitivities towards the issue. This finding is also corroborated by findings of the 2013 EEO review. 25 In the case of the social partners in Sweden for example which have supported skills adaptation initiatives for economy greening over the past 20 years in spite of continued awareness of the problem, the recession and the lack of an international agreement on climate change are seen to have limited the development of concrete actions in recent years. 25 European Employment Observatory, (2013), Promoting green jobs throughout the crisis: a handbook of best practices in Europe, Report by ICG GHK and SYSDEM experts for the European Commission 7

15 3 Social partner lifelong learning actions to support greening economies 3.1 Identification and anticipation of competencies and qualification needs Social partners are deeply involved in initiatives and actions aiming at identifying and anticipating competencies and qualification needs at national, sector and enterprise level. They act at national, sectoral and enterprise level in order to develop tools to address specific needs at enterprise level or to be involved in the collective analysis of competence needs and in the development of the qualifications. In terms of distribution between national, sectoral and enterprise level mechanisms, among the initiatives selected for analysis, the identification and anticipation of skills tends to be implemented more at sector or national level rather than at enterprise level. Partnerships with key players are particularly important to advise on national policies. Social partners are particularly well placed to offer insights into the direction of changing work and worker requirements. They are therefore often involved in agencies and councils responsible for the development of labour market intelligence and skills anticipation systems. At national level, mechanisms to anticipate and identify skills needs are in place in many of the analysed initiatives. These tend to be developed at sector or national level through the activation of a wide range of stakeholders, including the social partners, State agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The adopted mechanisms for identifying and anticipating skills and training needs are largely reliant on the ability to activate the most important stakeholders. Various examples approaches to establishing stakeholder buy-in and engagement have been identified, including through national observatories established by public authorities (FEE: Bat, France), national centres for training (CENIFER, Spain), the creation of sector-specific national platforms (BUILD UP Skills, Germany). A project by the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA), with funding from the European Social Fund (ESF), and in partnership with the trade union confederations CITUB and Podkrepa, concerns the evaluation of workforce competence requirements. By the end of 2012, studies of workforce competence requirements were elaborated for 40 sectors. The job profiles which were prepared include those relevant to environmental protection and eco-oriented consumption. 26 The BUILD UP Skills initiative in Germany coordinated by the German Crafts Confederation (ZDH), has developed a National Skills Platform in Germany in order to identify and anticipate possible qualification and competencies needs in the construction sector, with a particular focus on SMEs. By establishing a relationship to the Austrian version of the BUILD UP Skills platform, the Klima:aktiv programme, whose identification and anticipation mechanism was not previously in place, has adopted this same approach. Further details of which are provided in the box below. Good practice example 4 BUILD UP Skills, Germany The BUILD UP Skills is an EU wide project aiming at providing the necessary information on the actual workforce needs considering the goals in the Building sector in Germany. Therefore the focus is on on-site/blue collar workers. The first step of this initiative is to deliver a Status-Quo- Analysis which identifies quantitative and qualitative information of the existing workforce and the qualification bundles in On the basis of this analysis gaps and the required workforce and qualification programmes were identified. 26 See website: accessed on 14/08/

16 To analyse the status quo of the building workforce and determine the requirements up to 2020 a broad-based consortium of stakeholder from the academic world, trade associations, the vocational education and training sector and the energy sector was established. Alongside the consortium partners a National Skills Platform made up of 54 institutions and a Steering Board were established. The aim of the Steering Board composed by important stakeholder of the National Skills Platform such as trade unions and trade associations and by stakeholders from the industry was to support, advise and provide further expertise to the qualitative and quantitative analysis conducted by the partners. This resulted in three meetings during the project. In the first meeting quantitative and qualitative deficits were developed, with recommendations regarding possible barriers and gaps. This allowed to build up on the analysis provided by the project partners and to identify the competences and qualification needs. The second meeting aimed at defining concrete proposals for the National Skills Roadmap. Finally during the third meeting proposed measures and actions were defined with a list of steps institution responsible for their implementation and the timescale. This meeting enabled the stakeholder to participate in the anticipation measures that should be implemented in order to address the needs. The ability to develop tools that enabled a wide range of stakeholder to participate in the identification and anticipation mechanism is expected to have a positive impact in terms of acceptance of the results and the actions intended to be implemented. It is however too early to ascertain whether such positive outcomes have been realised. At enterprise level: The Italian Green Economy and Competences of Organisations (GECO) project, in contrast, integrated the analysis of qualification and needs within the occupational context. This bottom-up approach links professional needs analysis and training design through the logic of ageing with competence at the workplace. This good practice example is explored in greater detail in the box below. Good practice example 5 Green Economy and Competences of Organisations, Italy The project s aim is to test and provide a tailored tool at company level to map, manage and anticipate the competencies and qualification needs in the company. The project applied the Guy Le Boterf model how to act and interact with competence in a given professional situation methodology experimentally adapting the methodological tools in the green economy sector. This method allows anticipating the likely evolution of the professions within a certain company and helps to pinpoint what capacities should be developed. The identification and anticipation mechanism implemented is a bottom-up approach. It starts with mapping the professional profiles present in the company, its organisational structure and relationships between employees. This information is collected through meetings with the employees. By overlapping these mapping exercises it was possible to identify both the competencies and qualifications present and needed in the company. This approach has been particularly useful in small companies where the employees usually need to cover a wide range of tasks. In order to identify their competencies and training needs, it was important to relate the internal language used in the company with the standard definitions of competencies and qualifications at national and international level Success factors The anticipation and early identification of skills and competence needs is a necessary precondition for lifelong learning responses capable of increasing the effectiveness of the workforce and its adaptability to the requirements of sustainable development. The social partners are perceived as key players in the identification of competence needs and in the implementation of adequate training policies to address the identified skills gaps. With regards to the identification of the skills mechanisms implemented at national and sectoral level, the main success factors among the analysed initiatives are the ability to bring together key stakeholders and consequently the identification of coordinated measures to anticipate the identified competencies and qualification needs. 9

17 For instance, the National Skills Platform developed in the BUILD UP Skills initiative involved key actors in construction sector, in the technology use and in the education and further education. This allowed for an identification of the skills and qualification needs through a more comprehensive approach. In addition the ability to bring together relevant stakeholders ensures a better coordination among the different measures implemented to anticipate skills and qualification needs. In this respect the networking tools developed by the Klima:aktiv programme managed to bring together a high number of heterogeneous and uncoordinated training and initiatives under the same umbrella. This eased the alignment between the training delivered at local level and industry needs. In both cases the social partners have been involved in discussions around the identification and anticipation of competences and qualification needs. Another important success factor is the openness and flexibility of the partnership structures at regional and local level. This enables the development of collaborations among a wide range of stakeholders with common interests in lifelong learning activities. This aspect has been particularly relevant in the Skillnets initiative in Ireland where the flexibility has supported the better alignment between the training on offer and industry needs. In allowing and facilitating organisations to choose to collaborate and engage in training, it has helped to drive the creation of common interest and advocates for lifelong learning. With regards to the enterprise level an important factor is the ability to develop flexible tools which can be used to identify the needs of different enterprises. The Italian GECO project tested a mechanism that enabled them to identify competences and qualification needed in small enterprises characterised by different working organisations. 3.2 Recognition and validation of competencies and qualifications In the context of developing skills for greening economies, it is particularly important to understand that not all initiatives involve the formal adjustment of VET qualifications systems in terms of their content. Much of the relevant skills are delivered instead through simple short vocational training courses and workplace learning which may arise as a result of strong social partner engagement. Mechanisms for the validation of the knowledge, skills and competences and the recognition of qualifications acquired through non-formal and informal learning activities are therefore seen as critical complements to formal learning acquired through the education system. For this reason, comparability and transparency are essential particularly for young people. 27 From an individual perspective, validation brings prospects of enhanced employability, increased wages and career moves, easier transferability of skills across occupations and countries, improved access to formal education, and increased self-confidence. For employers, improved mechanisms that ensure individual learning outcomes are documented make it easier to compare job candidates, and understand individual training needs and career development pathways. Enterprises can also benefit from a more qualified workforce through the role that such certification or licencing can play in increasing consumer confidence in the quality of the services on offer a particular issue in the construction and buildings retrofit service sectors. The participation of social partners in national qualifications authorities or councils allows them to be a key player in the development of national policies on the validation of competences. The recognition and validation of competencies and qualifications is still very heterogeneous among countries and mostly depends on the extent to which the validation mechanisms are developed. 27 EC (20 December 2012), Proposal for a Council Recommendation on the validation of non-formal and informal learning, COMlearning, EU (2012) 485/C 398/01) 10

18 In Klima:aktiv initiative (Austria) training is certified across the four thematic areas through a specific logo. This accreditation is given to training institutions that fulfil specific quality targets. Particularly interesting is the GECO initiative (Italy). Through a bipartite partnership, this tested a bottom-up model which enables the skills used by the workers in their day-today work to be aligned with existing national occupational profiles. As a result a private institute for accreditation developed the occupational profiles and accredited solar PV installers. Conversely, the other company level initiatives analysed, Sofiyska Voda (Bulgaria) and Eesti Energia (Estonia), do not result in formally accredited and certified training. In the Czech Republic, the ČEZ Group has helped to create new and modify existing curricula focused on energy sector. To further extend this reach, the group is currently undertaking a four-year project to build a leading educational centre to support the development of a new generation of power engineers. In line with the growing need for greater vocational dimensions and enterprise influence on Higher Education, the Irish Skillnets programme provides a mechanism for enterpriseled or union-led networks to support the development of tertiary level training courses (Masters) leading to formal accreditation at national level. In the UK, the Green Skills Partnership supports the formal accreditation of informal training as well as for other projects related to the renewable energy sector. Furthermore the initiative provides training of leaders and ambassadors through Environmental Skills and Eco-Awareness courses with a progression pathway to prepare to teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector qualification (level 3 and 4 on the national framework of qualifications). This good practice example is explored in greater detail in the box below. Good practice example 6 Green Skills Partnership, UK The Green Skills Partnership is essentially an umbrella, pooling together a range of actors to support the training and reintegration of the unemployed or low-skilled through the development of pathways for progression into jobs in a green economy. The programme was initiated in 2011 and is coordinated by Unionlearn, the learning skills organisation of the UK Trade Unions Congress (TUC). Partner organisations include trade unions, Further Education (FE) colleges, Sector Skills Councils, as well as various London borough councils, private companies, community groups and voluntary organisations. Organised on a project-by-project basis, with Unionlearn acting as a broker or facilitator, the partnerships provide opportunities for accredited lifelong learning. To engage employees in greening activities, union representatives can receive training as 'leaders', or 'ambassadors' through mentoring and online courses e.g. TUC Discussion Leaders training - Environmental Skills and Eco-Awareness. This course includes a progression pathway to a Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) qualification (level 3 and 4); and parttime paid training as green ambassadors. The Green Skills Partnership is particularly active in the horticulture, construction and waste management sectors. In construction, employers (e.g. Lend Lease) and individual tradesmen have collaborated with the public employment service (Job Centre Plus) to identify what skills were needed and identify shortfalls. Following this analysis, pre-entry routes and progression pathways for the unemployed, low-skilled and other disadvantaged groups (e.g. ex-offenders) have been developed to facilitate labour market re-entry through programmes to retrofit social housing. Through the established links to existing networks of FE colleges and other training providers, what would have otherwise amounted to informal training is instead fully accredited. Furthermore, the lifelong learning activities are mapped onto the national framework of qualifications and the learner is provided with a pathway to further develop competencies and gain qualifications of increasing importance in greening economies. As new vocational qualification standards or training requirements emerge, these are typically signalled by the social partners. The work required to revise existing training provision or qualifications is then done in cooperation with the representatives of the education sector, while the social partners may adopt the role of advisors. Evidence from the 11